Pneumatically-propelled vehicle.



No. 682,773. Patented Sept. l7, I90l. W. J. WHITE. PNEUMATICALLY PBOPELLED VEHICLE. (Application filed. Apr. 5, 18i99.)

(No Model.)

INVEN T 0 Fr. WlLLlAM I WH ITE.

A'ITY employed for this purpose,

, ure 1 is a side elevation .in this case as in UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE,

W LLIAM J. WHITE, or CLEVELAND, oHI'o,

* PNEUMAT lCALLY-PRQPELLED VEHICLE.

BPEGII'IGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 682,773, datedseptember 17,

Application filed A ril 5, 1899. sir-m1 no. 711,815. (No model.)

To all whom it may'conaern: Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. WHITE, a citizen of the'UnitedStates, residingat Cleveland, in the county of Guyahoga' and Stateof Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatically -Propelled Vehicles; and I do declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to pneumatically-propelled'vehicles, and is but another embodiment of the invention shown and described in my concurrent application,Serial N 0. 711,814, in which the invention is set forth i'nall its broader aspects, and hence is the dominating application. The same principle obtains 7 that of a Vehicle carrying with it in some convenient position a tank or/ tanks for compressed air and one or more m0- tors for utilizing the air in the driving of the vehicle, a set of small traction-wheels being while at the rear are much larger wheels and pumps to keep up the supply of air having their operating connections near the axial line of the rear wheels, so as to operate the pumps with a mere nominal outlay of energy.

Having reference now to the drawings, Fig. of a vehicle carrying Fig. 2 is an enlargedsecset of pumps and their my improvements. tlonal elevation of a operating connections with one of the vehiclewheels. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a pump-driving wheel and' 'designed to show the cam on its inner'side. Fig. 4 is a modification of the cam.

A represents the front drive or traction wheels, 13 the body, and O the rear wheels.

D is the air-storage tan lqE the motor-cylinder, of which there may be one or more, and F the crank-axle, which turns with the front wheels, or rather serves to turn said wheels through thepower of the motor. The

motor is suspended from the body B by rods 2 and has a piston-rod 3 and connecting rod 4, engaging with the crank on shaft F. A lever or the like 5 in front of the operator serves to control the passage of the air through tubes 6 between tank and motor-vehicle, and

, guiding or steering the vehicle may be employed, an ordinary hand wheel and rod 7 being shown here, At the rear I have arranged a series of pumps G in a group of four about-the axle G, andQin this instance comparatively near to one of the rear wheels 0. These pumps are shown here as having a common base H and a common head H, sleeved on shaft G, and each has its own body 72 secured between base and head. Obviously any other practical way of building up these pumps may be adopted and not depart from the invention, and one or more may be used at pleasure, or some may be cut out and one or more used at a time. Each pump has a piston h with an ordinary flip-valve a, as, here'shown, to let air into the cylinder, and a rod k passing through head h and havinga fixed bearing therein confining the rod to linear movements. On the outer end of the rod is a head 71 with a Wheel or roller, and between the said head and the casing H there is a coiled spring it about the rod arranged to keep it normally out in contact with the cam K for operating. the pumps. The said cam K hasa hub of its own sleeved on the hub of wheel 0 and is of such depth as to causethe pistons to traverse the full length of their cylinders, thus giving all the any suitable meansof requisite stroke for effective work. The highest point of the cam is seen at 9, Figs. 2 and 3, and all the pumps are operated once in each complete revolution of wheel 0.

Imight construct a double cam instead of a single one, and so also might Imodify the Invention shown-in other particulars; but the principle would not be changed, inasmuch as I have planned by this construction to operate the pumps in a position at right angles to the direction of travel, and where the power is taken 01f as near diate axis of the wheel, thus enabling the wheel to do a large amount of hard work in the volume of air stored without incurring any hurtful burden or being materially ha'mpered in its movements.

10 about the outer end of the spindle to take the endwise thrust of the hub, thus bringing all resistance to the rotation of wheel Q on as. practical to the imme- Then as a further I precaution to keep'down friction and pro-' mote easy rotation I place antifriction-balls- ZOO account of the pumps down to a point where it is scarcely appreciable in the movements of the vehicle.

In the modification, Fig.4, I dispense with thesprings h and provide a positive action both ways for the piston-rods by using a cam L with a flanged channel or groove and the rollers on the said rod run in the same, as shown. With such a construction I might pump in both directions of travel, and of course can arrange the pumps in connection with one or both rear Wheels. The compressed air goes from the pumps by pipes or tubes k Fig. 2, to the storage-tank.

. Any suitable primary charge or means of charging the storage-tank may be employed; but such means do not constitute a part of this invention.

Vhat I claim is 1. A vehicle and a pneumatic chamber and motor thereon to drive the vehicle, in combination with an air-replenishing mechanism comprising a pump set to operate at right angles to the direction of travel and means connected with a revolving part of the vehicle to operate said pump, substantially as described.

2. A vehicle having front and rear axles, a series of direct-acting pumps grouped about the rear axle and pistons and piston-rods parallel to the said axle, and a cam on one of the rear wheels to operate said pumps, substantially as described Witness my hand to the foregoing specification lhis 28th day of February, 1899.

VILLIAM J. \VHITE.

Witnesses:

H. E. MUDRA, R. B. Moses. 

